Finding a Family
by Gracenspangler
Summary: AU. Elliot and Kathy are married with no kids because she never wanted to have any even though Elliot is dying to have one. Liv and Elliot have been partner for 7 years and are each other's best friends. So who will he go to when he discovers he has a teenage daughter that needs his help?
1. Chapter 1

AU. Elliot and Kathy are married with no kids because she never wanted to have any even though Elliot is dying to have one. Liv and Elliot have been partners for 7 years and are each other's best friends. So who will he go to when he discovers he has a teenage daughter that needs his help?

As he walked into the station that morning he looked pissed as he whipped his jacket down on his chair.

"Another fight with Kathy?" she asked trying to get him to talk about it before he ruined their whole day pouting and keeping it to himself. Secretly she kind of loved it when they fought because he would always look to her to talk about it and most the time when it got really bad they would just get his mind off of her by watching movies at Liv's and eating bad Chinese take-out.

"I don't know why I put up with it sometimes. I think when it's all said and done, we just want different things. I mean how many times have we had this fight?" Elliot vented.

Liv responded with and a smirk, "To many times for me to count."

That smirk, if only she knew what it did to him. If only she knew that he had been wishing for the last two years that she would ask him to just get over it and divorce Kathy, but he knew Oliva was just too good for that. She would never want to intentionally break up a marriage because as all she ever wanted was a mom and a dad, ones that loved each other and loved her.

She continued, " But I guess I have no room to talk you know I want kids, all I'm missing is the husband." She'd spent too many hours day dreaming of a life with her partner and kids of their own. She thought they could have a happy family if only he had felt the same way about her they she felt for him.

"yeah well I've got the wife and it's not doing me any good. Actually since we're talking about it can I ask you something?"

"yeah El, anything!"

He went over and sat on her desk with her in front of him sitting in her chair. He decided to just go for it. "This might not be appropriate here, but I think it is time I asked Kathy for a divorce. We don't connect anymore, we want different things and I kind have feeling for someone else. So what do you think?

Liv's mind was racing. Was she finally getting what she always wanted? A single Elliot who she could finally make a move on? But who was she kidding she would never be the one to make the first move it could wreck there entire friendship and right now that meant the entire world to her. He was the only one who was always there for her that knew everything about her and never judge her for where she came from.

Elliot stood there in front of her waving his hand. "Hello, Helloooo, earth to Liv" she snapped out of her day dream. He continued, "I asked what you thought about that?

Before she could answer a girl she thought to be about 15 walked in slowly with her hood dangling half way over her head.

Oliva got suspicious of the way she walked in so quietly that got up and walked over to her, "Hi, I'm Detective Benson can I help you?" no sooner was Elliot right by her side

In a soft voice looking at the ground, "is this the special victims unit?

Olivia heard the girl's insecurities in her voice. Olivia immediately changed to her victim voice that Elliot loved, it was just so compassionate, "yes, honey. I'm Detective Benson and this is my partner detective Stabler. Do you have something you need to report?

The girl slowly looked up and when they saw her bruised eye and busted lip they knew something was wrong. Trying not to worry her Liv calmly asked her to come into one of the interview rooms and sit down.

Elliot knew that he should probably just let Olivia take this one on her own and that a teenage girl would probably feel more comfortable without a male present in the room but there was just something about this little girl. He felt so bad for her and just felt like he needed to help her for some reason.

As they all sat down Olivia looked at Elliot questioningly as in why he would think that she would feel comfortable with a male in the room if she was here to report a rape. But he sat sown anyway so she continued, "so can you tell me your name and what happened?"

"My name's Cassie," she said, "but do you both really have to be here?"

"No, Sorry" Elliot got up "you girls talk, but first do you want something to drink" he felt stupid for trying to stay in the interview room so he thought he would be polite and ask to get her some water.

She nodded her head so he sat down the cup and walked out of the room. He didn't know what it was but he just felt some sort of connection to this girl. Then he walked to the one sided mirror so he could listen in on the interview.

Once Elliot left Liv started "so Cassie, can you tell me why you're here."

She took a drink and started slowly, quietly in that same voice she came in with. "He comes into my room sometimes while I'm sleeping, sometimes it's just with his hands but most of the time it's more. I just need to get out of there! Please, I need your help. Just please get me out of there." She stops as tears are running down her face.

"Out of where, honey? Who's doing this to you? You're Dad? Olivia responds

"No, I don't have a real Dad. He's my foster dad. He just…he thinks he owns me" She looks Olivia straight in the eye and it sends a chill down Olivia's spine. She continues "when I try to fight him off or say that I'm gonna tell someone this is what he does to me." As she points to her face.

Elliot watches the girl through the glass. First he wants to throw up hearing what a grown man is doing to this girl and then he gets a sudden rage to beat the crap out of this guy when they find him.

Olivia looks at the girl her heart breaking a little. "We're gonna get you out of there sweetheart we just need his name so we can press charges"

Cassie suddenly freaks out "What! Press Charges! No! I don't wanna press charges I just want to be put in a different house. He'd kill me if I pressed charges!" the tears start again as she paces the room

Olivia is stunned at her freak out she thought that that was why she was there. "honey, we have to arrests him what he is doing is wrong, against the law and you don't deserve that" she is cut off by a cell phone ringing.

Cassie takes out her cell phone, "oh no! it's Him! What if he knows I here, he's gonna kill me. I've gotta go" she goes to walk out the door.

"Wait" Olivia says "take my card, I want to help you! If you change your mind or just need some help, here's my number call me. And with that Cassie was out the door.

Elliot walked into the interview room and it was written all over both of their faces. It was hitting them hard and they knew that needed to help this girl.

Elliot broke the silence, "We need to help this girl, we can't let her go home to that. we just need to figure out who she is."

Olivia agreed. "yeah, well at least we have her DNA" she held up the Styrofoam cup Cassie was drinking from.

They took the cup to Warner and started looking through all of the foster kids files they could get their hands on but there were just to many and no way to narrow down the search.

They looked all day and found nothing. Cragen walked out of his office to send them home for the night. Both of them get up got their things, put on their jackets and walked to the elevator.

Elliot broke the silence as they got in the elevator. "Liv, I don't wanna go home." He looked down like he was a little ashamed "Our conversation we were having this morning, I was telling the truth. I don't love her anymore. I want a divorce."

Olivia countered, "Well El, you know my spare room is always open and I always have some left over Chinese in the fridge." Olivia smiled thinking of her and Elliot sharing an apartment

Elliot smiled back "thanks, Liv. You know you mean the world to me" he let it slip… maybe it would be okay he thought. Maybe, just maybe she felt the same but before she could respond he continued. "I think I'm gonna take you up on your offer but first I'm gonna go break the news to Kathy."

"Good Luck" she said with a smile as he walked away but all she could think about was that he just told her that she meant the world to him. She felt like maybe something in this world would finally work out in her favor.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN. So this is my first fanfic I take all kinds of reviews tell me what you like, tell me what you don't. Tell me if you want me to continue for have any ideas. Thanks**

When Olivia got home she quickly showered and then started cleaning up a little before Elliot got there. But who was she kidding he had already seen her apartment at the worst so there was really no point. She ordered some Chinese and sat on the couch and waited for him. She thought surely that he would be there already but in reality how long did it actually take to ask your wife for a divorce. The food was starting to get cold. Just then there was a knock on the door, she look through the peep hole and there he was standing there all perfect. She opened the door and he had a bag packed full of clothes and a pair of men's underwear in his hand.

She questioned him. "what's with your underwear, El?" she thought could this really be happening? Elliot Stabler is going to live with me? Well at least for a week or so.

" Oh, there not mine," he responded, "but I did find them under my bed, so what does that tell you about my marriage?" he was pissed and she could tell. His head was spinning with anger. Had Kathy been cheating on him their whole marriage or what? Everything he knew about her just felt like a lie. "You know she didn't even try to stop me when I asked. She just said that she had been thinking about it too."

"El, I'm so sorry. You don't deserve to be with someone who treats you so badly." She genuinely felt bad not just that Kathy was cheating on him but that she was so happy that he ran to her and trusted her to talk about it.

He responded, "You know what? I'm not. Now I can finally do something that I have wanted to do, I've just felt guilty for it."

Liv didn't even have time to think his lips were on hers. His hands were holding her face to him. She was stunned she had wanted to kiss him for so long, just not like this. Not like his rebound. She suddenly pushed him away.

Now she was pissed, "I'm not gonna be your rebound Elliot. I thought I meant more than that to you! Just an easy fuck to get over your wife!" she was yelling now. But how could he, she had wanted to kiss him for so long and all he wanted was to get over his wife.

"Wait." He interrupted her "I said I had been waiting to do that for so long, as in while I was still married to Kathy but she went out of our marriage to be with somebody else so why should I not be with the woman I have loved ever since I met her seven years ago" he paused. He saw her eyes go wide when he said that he loved her. He continued, "don't act all surprised, you had to have known at least a little bit. And this morning when I said I had feelings for someone else, who did you think I was talking about?"

She was at a loss for words "i..i..i guess i…"

" I was talking about you Liv, you're the one I have feelings for you're the one I love! This isn't about Kathy. Don't even try telling me you don't feel the same."

"El, I wasn't going to, it's just so weird I've been hiding my feelings for you for so long it just doesn't seem real. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and have this all be a dream."

He took a couple slow steps towards her, "I promise you Liv, now that I'm free" he gently caressed her cheek with his hand "I'm going to tell you and show you that I love you every day for the rest of my life."

"Show me, Elliot!" and with that his lips were on hers again. It wasn't like before. Before he was aggressive. Now they each were giving equal power. Liv ran her tongue over his bottom lip asking for permission and he happily granted her access. They both felt like they could do this forever, that is was meant to be. When they came up for air they notice that Olivia phone had been ringing.

She quickly answered it, it was warner. "Olivia? Are you with Elliot I have the DNA result for that girl I think you should both come down here."

Oliva was a bit concerned. What was so important that they both needed to come down there and she just couldn't tell her the girl's name? "Yeah, I'm with him we'll come right now."

Olivia looked at Elliot, "that was Warner, she has the girls DNA results she wants us to come and check'em out" with that she gave him a quick peck on the lips and they grabbed their coats and left.

Elliot was glad that Oliva gave him that last kiss it was like she was reassuring him that she didn't want it just to be a onetime thing. That it wasn't a mistake. It gave him the courage to take her hand and interlock their fingers over the center cup holders. At that moment they looked over at each other and smiled. They both thought that they could definitely get used to this.

As they pulled up to Warners neither one wanted to let go but they knew it was time to get back into that Benson/Stabler attitude.

They walked into Warners ready to hear what they had to say.

"Oh, you guys are here. I ran the girls DNA, you're gonna want to see this."

"Wait, so you found out who she was." She said excitedly, "we can finally find her and get her out of that house."

"Actually, I found a little more than just who the girl is. I found a partial DNA match as in a paternal match."

"You mean her dad is in CODIS?" Elliot asked

"Actually her father's DNA is in the system because he's a cop. But it's more than that, Elliot, the paternal match is you. According to the DNA you're this girl's father."

And with that Elliot's whole world flipped upside down. Daughter, did she really just say he had a daughter that he knew nothing about. He soon felt like he was gonna pass out he needed to sit down.

Liv trying to digest what she just heard and not make it such a big deal for Elliot she said, "Well what else do we know about her, do you have her address? Can we go get her before that creep hurts her again?"

"Well from what I gather her name is Cassie Potter, born August 12th, 1998 which would make her 15 years old and this is her current address." She handed Olivia a paper with the address on it.

Meanwhile, Elliot was sitting down talking it all through out loud, "August 12th, 1998, August 15 years ago" he was trying to figure out where he was "I was in the marines, August 15 years ago I would have been in the marines for exactly 9 months. Kathy was pregnant when I left? Kathy was pregnant and she gave up our baby. Save gave away my daughter without my knowledge.

With that Elliot and Liv thanked Warner and left to go get Cassie away from that monster. They decided it was probably best if Liv drove. Before she started the car she looked over at Elliot and he was actually smiling. She looked at him questionably.

"Liv, I have a daughter. I have what I have always wanted. Maybe I missed some years of her life because of Kathy and trust me she will hear from me later but right now I have a daughter." and then it hit him "OH my God! We have to find her and get her out of that house!" now he really wanted to throw up.

As she started the car her phone started to ring. It was a number she didn't recognize. She answered "Detective Benson"

In that soft voice she said "I need your help. I'm outside the precinct, I have nowhere to go."

"I'll be there in 10 minutes don't move" and with that Olivia and Elliot rushed to the precinct to save his daughter. There was no way he would ever get tired of that 'His Daughter'.


End file.
